An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/wahren

by Friedrich Kluge

wahren, verb, ‘to watch over, preserve,’ from Middle High German warn, weak verb, ‘to notice, be careful, pay attention to’; Old High German only in biwarôn (the same as Middle High German bewarn, Modern High German bewahren, ‘to keep, preserve’). Compare the corresponding Old Saxon warôn, ‘to pay attention to.’ From German is derived French se garer, ‘to guard against, mind’; but French garnir (Italian guarnire), ‘to furnish, stock,’ is based on the equivalent Old High German warnôn, Middle High German warnen, which, like wahren, is derived from the same root war, ‘to take care of, look after.’ To this is allied Old High German and Old Saxon wara, Middle High German war, feminine, ‘attention,’ still preserved in wahrnehmen, ‘to perceive,’ from Middle High German war nëmen, Old High German and Old Saxon wara nëman, ‘to pay attention to, perceive’ (in Old High German and Middle High German construed with the genit.), literally ‘to have regard to.’ The Teutonic root. war, ‘to take heed, notice,’ is rightly regarded as primitively cognate with Greek ὁράω, ‘I see’ (Aryan root wor, to which warten is also allied).